Question: The equation of an ellipse $E$ is $\dfrac {(x+8)^{2}}{49}+\dfrac {(y+9)^{2}}{16} = 1$. What are its center $(h, k)$ and its major and minor radius?
The equation of an ellipse with center $(h, k)$ is $ \dfrac{(x - h)^2}{a^2} + \dfrac{(y - k)^2}{b^2} = 1$ We can rewrite the given equation as $\dfrac{(x - (-8))^2}{49} + \dfrac{(y - (-9))^2}{16} = 1 $ Thus, the center $(h, k) = (-8, -9)$ $49$ is bigger than $16$ so the major radius is $\sqrt{49} = 7$ and the minor radius is $\sqrt{16} = 4$.